Tourism (17)

"During 2007, 650,000 American tourists visited Turkey. This is the highest number ever recorded. In recent years, the number of tourists visiting Turkey has increased at a rate that is almost three times the world average, with 23.3 million people visiting Turkey in 2007. In 2006, there were 19 million, while in 2005, 21 million visited Turkey. The Culture and Tourism Ministry, which has established a 10 million dollar budget for the North American market in 2008, plans on bringing 1 million American tourists to Turkey by the end of the year."

The number of American tourists visiting Turkey in 2007 numbered 646,376. In 2006 the number had been lower at 532,419, thus indicating a 21.4 percent increase over the year. In 2005, 434,991 people had visited, an even lower number.

By Elizabeth Gündoğdu Ever dreamed of life abroad? Being able to enjoy a country as a non-native, but with all the benefits of local knowledge? Imagine visiting old friends who've relocated to an exotic place. They'd take you to all their favorite places off the beaten track, and guide you through the major attractions knowing just what you'd most like to see and do.

During 2007, 650,000 American tourists visited Turkey. This is the highest number ever recorded. In recent years, the number of tourists visiting Turkey has increased at a rate that is almost three times the world average, with 23.3 million people visiting Turkey in 2007. In 2006, there were 19 million, while in 2005, 21 million visited Turkey.

By Valerie Block* I’d been dating Musa for several months when he told me he was going back home to Turkey. I figured it was goodbye boyfriend, but he surprised me by phoning often. Two months into his absence, I was on a plane to Istanbul!

By Catherine Salter Bayar * As a Californian clothing designer in my thirties, I’d traveled alone on business to at least 40 countries worldwide. When I announced that I intended to travel solo in Turkey in 1998, however, I was bombarded with warnings from concerned friends about the danger inherent in my plan.

By Nathan Redd I’ve been called a lot of things in my life, but “weird American” has probably taken the top spot in recent years. There are many reasons I’ve been called this, but my following the game of futbol (I refuse to call it “soccer”) is one of the major ones.

By Pat Yale Stick a pin into the middle of a map of Turkey, and chances are that you will hit Cappadocia, that wild and wonderful part of the country where a combination of prehistoric volcanic activity and much more recent erosion have created a crazy, mixed-up landscape of soaring rock cones (‘fairy chimneys’) and deep gorges.

By Ayşe Önal Zamboğlu – San Francisco There are a couple of cities in every country with distinct characters. When you visit such a city, it tells a fairly different story than the rest. If you are planning to visit wonderful Turkey, İzmir will show you a different side of Turkish culture and heritage very well.

By Catherine Salter Bayar*This historical valley on Turkey’s West Coast has more than its share of diverse cultural attractions – from centuries of wonders at Ephesus, a city founded by a mythical tribe of women warriors known as Amazons, embellished by King Croesus, liberated by Alexander the Great and nearly as important as Rome – to the tomb of Jesus’ favorite disciple and last home of the Virgin Mary, both sites of Christian pilgrimage, as well as a charming Ottoman village best known for its traditional pleasures of homemade wines and handmade lace.

By Müge Emirgil Turkey’s tourism sector has undergone an accelerated rate of growth in the past three decades. In a sharp rise from the annual 500,000 visitors at the end of the 1970s, 2007 saw 24 million tourists visit the country (12 million of whom came from EU member states).

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By Anastasia M. Ashman*I’m bouncing along in a stream of shoppers at a neighborhood pazar, or weekly general street market. Tented for protection from the hot midday sun, this narrow Istanbul road in a residential district called Ulus is lined with merchandise that wasn’t here a few hours ago and will disappear in a few more: rows and rows of olives in plastic tubs, stands of feta cheese, and wooden carts packed with squash straight from the farm.

By Büşra İpekçi Jews, Greeks, Bulgarians, Armenians and Roma have all had a presence there and still inhabit the area in smaller numbers. Due to its formerly predominant Jewish population, Balat developed in a way that reflects Jewish architectural character.

By Naim GüleryüzA city straddling two continents, Asia and Europe, Istanbul is at the same time a bridge linking Eastern and Western cultures. It is the world's only city where for five centuries people have worshipped in peace and harmony at mosques, synagogues and churches standing side by side.

The stability that the Turkish economy has attained, the steps taken towards European Union membership, and the huge influx of Gulf capital have all pushed Turkey's real estate sector into a dynamic position. There is a huge boom occurring right now in real estate, ranging from housing to industrial construction, and shopping center to hotel construction.